Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, generator, gearbox, nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known foil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
The size of the rotor blades is a significant factor that contributes to the energy efficiency of a wind turbine. In particular, an increase in rotor blade size generally leads to an overall increase in the energy production of a wind turbine. Accordingly, efforts to increase rotor blade size aid in the continuing growth of wind turbine technology and the adoption of wind energy as an alternative energy source. However, as the size of the rotor blades used in wind turbines increases, so do the respective costs of manufacturing, transporting, and assembling such rotor blades. For example, the costs of pre-forming, transporting, and erecting significantly long rotor blades may significantly impact the economic advantage of a larger wind turbine.
One known strategy for reducing the costs of pre-forming, transporting, and erecting wind turbines having rotor blades of increasing sizes is to manufacture the rotor blades in blade segments. The blade segments may then be assembled to form the rotor blade after, for example, the individual blade segments are transported to the field. However, known joint deigns for connecting the blade segments together typically have a variety of disadvantages. For example, many known joint designs do not provide for sufficient alignment of the blade segments. As such, a significant amount of time is wasted in aligning the blade segments for assembly of the rotor blade. Additionally, many known joint designs include various complex interconnecting components, thereby increasing the amount of time needed to assemble the blade segments.
Accordingly, there is a need for a joint design for wind turbine rotor blade segments which simplifies the assembly of the blade segments into a rotor blade and also allows for a more accurate assembly of the blade segments into a rotor blade.